Influence of a bifunctional linker on the loading of Cu2AgInS4 QDs onto porous TiO2 NFs to use as an efficient photoanode to boost the photoconversion efficiency of QDSCs

Autor: Vignesh Murugadoss, Ramdasse Sittaramane, Nisha Singh, Roopakala Kottayi, Pratheep Panneerselvam, Subramania Angaiah
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: New Journal of Chemistry. 44:13148-13156
ISSN: 1369-9261
1144-0546
DOI: 10.1039/d0nj01699c
Popis: In the present study, quaternary Cu2AgInS4 quantum dots (CAIS QDs) are synthesized by a hot injection method. The crystallographic information of the QDs is confirmed by X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrum analysis reveals a 1.93 : 1.0 : 1.01 : 3.80 elemental composition ratio of the synthesized QDs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirms the oxidation states of the elements present in the synthesized QDs. The optical properties are studied using UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy and PL emission spectroscopy. From a Tauc plot, the bandgap of the synthesized QDs is calculated to be 1.6 eV. The synthesized QDs are used as sensitizers and are loaded onto P-TiO2 NFs using 3-mercaptopropionic acid as a bifunctional linker as well as without the use of a bifunctional linker. Quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs) are fabricated using Cu2AgInS4 QD sensitized porous TiO2 NFs as the photoanode, Cu2S as the counter electrode and polysulphide as the electrolyte, in order to study its photovoltaic performance. These results revealed that the QDs loaded onto the porous TiO2 NFs using a bifunctional linker exhibits 27% improvement in the photoconversion efficiency of QDSC than that of the QDs loaded onto the porous TiO2 NFs without the use of a bifunctional linker.
Databáze: OpenAIRE